We look at paintings of that first Thanksgiving more than 400 years ago, with tables sagging under the weight of wild game, venison, waterfowl, lobster and mussels, corn, beans and pumpkins We often sigh and say, “Life was so simple back then.”

It was simple. Life was so simple that heat in homes came from logs crackling in a fireplace. ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky and Reverend Adam Hearlson seem like they've been friends forever.

Witkovsky, 41, is the senior rabbi at Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El (TBH-BE), a Conservative movement synagogue in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. Hearlson, 44, is the pastor at Overbrook Presbyterian Church (OPC), in Philadelphia.

Sitting in the ...Read more

Q. Even though my divorce has been final for a year, I sometimes like to spend the day with my ex and the kids. Not taking the chance of her saying no, I put the children first and ask the kids how they would feel if I came along. They say it’s fine, so then I tell their mother that I’d like to come along, and the kids want me to. I can tell...Read more

Dear Kid Whisperer,

I teach third-grade. I have had Behavioral Leadership training and I use Strategic Noticing, ESPN Greetings, etc. I have a student in my class who just wants to read (not the worst thing) but she wants to read and not do work. I made her stay in from recess to practice. She became angry, plugged her ears and started throwing...Read more

I am a human Bigfoot. I am taking the bold step of admitting this for two unsettling reasons:

1. My feet seem to be getting bigger.

2. The most fashionable shoes I own are a brand-new pair of slippers.

The alarming increase in the length, width and overall size of my already tremendous tootsies was evident when I purchased the aforementioned ...Read more

Before even getting out of your car, you start to question reality at Grounds for Sculpture. Driving in, there’s a group of people along the road holding a banner that reads “Hurrah Welcome,” and signs that say “We thought you’d never get here” and “I drink to your arrival.”

“Is this for me?” you may think. “How did they ...Read more

With their surgical nibbles, these large, semi-aquatic, buck-toothed rodents have emerged as crucial helpers for ecologists restoring degraded wetlands across the Great Lakes.

They are not the well-known, dam-building beavers but can often be found in the same marshy ecosystems. Muskrats — which are more closely related to voles and hamsters ...Read more

ST LOUIS -- Karen Hoffman tried to open her Messenger app to confirm a meeting she had later that morning in September. For some reason, it wouldn’t open.

She didn’t panic. It must be some kind of glitch. She tried to go through her Facebook account to look at her messages. That’s when she saw a notification that her account had been shut...Read more

LOS ANGELES — For a historian who writes about war, Rick Atkinson is surprisingly optimistic. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former journalist — who recently released the second volume in a trilogy of books about the American Revolution — believes that the bedrock of American democracy is solid enough to withstand any assaults on ...Read more

Your landscape will strike gold with this year’s new Chicklet Gold Esperanza. Though I am writing about Chicklet Gold, let's spill all the beans and tell you that Chicklet Red will make its debut in 2026.

So, if you think about the Chicklet Esperanza colors Orange, Gold and Red, you get the idea of the Chiclet chewing gum colors that many of ...Read more

I started my freelance career in 1988. Ronald Reagan was still president, the Berlin Wall was still standing, and if you wanted to pitch an editor, you typed a query letter on actual paper and mailed it with a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Thirty-seven years later, I'm still here. Still freelancing. Still adapting. I've survived five major ...Read more

Dear Anna,

I’m a 28-year-old woman who moved in with my boyfriend (30) after only four months of dating. It wasn't planned — my lease was ending, his roommate moved out and it just made sense financially and logistically. Plus, we were spending every night together anyway, so why pay for two places? We've now been living together for two ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Sandee Althouse walked into a Silver Lake gift shop dressed in an almost austere, simple black dress, her curly black hair graying at the temples. She carried herself like an older and accomplished, if somewhat serious, woman — but with a twist. Both of her arms were covered in freshly-inked tattoos, her left arm still wrapped ...Read more

Q: We’re two months in. Everything else is great, but he says we have no chemistry. Can it build? Give it more time?

A: I have a genuine question for you: Why would you want to be with someone who tells you that he has "no chemistry" (those are strong words) with you? Don't you think you deserve that, at a minimum?

With men, no, chemistry ...Read more

Dear Kid Whisperer,

After reading your column, my husband and I realized that our 8-year-old was not doing enough chores. She now does the dishes every night after dinner. Now I am second-guessing myself. The problem is that she really, really hates doing it, and gets upset while she’s cleaning up. It takes her a long time. I feel like, as a ...Read more

I married a hottie. He loves the heat and the sun.

When the summer sun is scorching and most people hide inside to keep from flash frying, he goes outside to do yard work.

I tend toward the cool side. Some like it hot, some like it cold, and for some mysterious reason they tend to marry one another.

Our favorite pastime is playing endless ...Read more

As millions of Americans head home for the holidays, Bankrate’s latest survey finds that there’s one dinner topic that will likely generate more heartburn than the typical conversation taboos about politics or religion: it’s money.

The national opinion poll found that about 3 in 5 U.S. adults (61%) said they would be uncomfortable talking...Read more

Q. The kids’ dad has not set up the kids’ rooms in his apartment yet and it’s been 6 months. They are telling me they want to see their dad, but they are tired of sleeping on the floor. I think it’s finances. I don’t want them to stop seeing their dad, but I understand that they want a bed. What’s good ex-etiquette?

A. Most who ...Read more

For a guy who has often been told to take a hike, I am getting nowhere fast. That’s because I have gone back to the gym, after taking a breather for several weeks, only to discover that you need to be a rocket scientist to use the new treadmills.

The old machines were like me: simple, serviceable, a little outdated, nothing fancy, with moving...Read more

BALTIMORE -- Reginald Person II, who has autism, has never been pulled over by police in real life, but a special program held recently allowed him to practice what would happen to put him more at ease.

Person, 39, of Severn, was one of many attendees of Pathways to Autism’s traffic stop practice event in Howard County. He said it helped him ...Read more